Let the Games Begin
by SapphirePetal
Summary: "Was it joy he was feeling? Was it sadness? Or was it something much worse?" Because Junko Enoshima was not the only one who could have been the mastermind of the Killing Game.
1. Prologue

"Oh dear. Looks like someone is in a tight spot at the moment."

His lips twitched as he spoke, though his eyes were focused on the sight before him.

The man in front of him did not speak initially, too busy struggling against the ropes holding him down to his chair. Eventually though, he looked up, finally meeting his gaze. Once he did, the man's purple eyes grew wide with pain and betrayal.

"You… You are the one behind this?!'

A small chuckle escaped his throat at the pained question.

"Of course I was. Did you really think that one of those other Ultimates had the ability to do this? Now that is just insulting."

He casually walked forward to the captive before him, stopping just in front of the former Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. He looked up at the contraption around the man, his lips twitching.

"Beautiful, is it not? It is based off a design made by the Ultimate Architect, but Kazuichi was able to edit it to fit my purpose. Perhaps this is not what was originally intent for this design, but one is still able to admire the design of it."

The man only managed a small bitter laugh at his words.

"You were never one for small talk Byakuya, so why bother with it now of all times?"

He turned back to the man at the question, a full blown smirk on his lips now.

"Must I have a reason to? Not everything has to have a meaning you know."

The man before him did not reply to his words initially. Instead, he tried looking away, directing his gaze around the small room around him. After a bit of time, however, he finally turned back to Byakuya, wariness clear on his face.

"What… What do you intend to do to them?"

His lips twisted into something akin to a demon's smile.

"Oh, I do not believe I could release that information at the moment. After all, that would be unfair to those participating in the game, as I cannot tell only you and not the others and telling them would take away all of the fun of our game. And what kind of person would deny anyone the fun of a mystery game? In my opinion, only a truly evil person would. Unless… You are trying to say that I am a villain. In that case.. Well I would not say that you are wrong."

He chuckled once more at his own words as the sound of an opening door echoed through the room. He turned instinctively, his smirk growing back onto his face when he saw who stood there.

A young woman stood in the doorway, clutching a small black and white bear. While the woman was quite attractive, with short blond hair similar to his own hair and piercing green eyes, most would be more drawn to the unusual bear within her grasp.

The coloration of the bear was the first odd thing that could be noticed about the bear. It seemed to be split down the middle colorwise. The left side of the animal was white and the right side of the animal was black. However, while the left side of the bear had a single black dot serving as an eye, the right side of the bear had a red jagged curve for an eye, giving the bear an overall creepy design.

The woman still managed to bow to him though, despite the animal in her hands.

"Master Byakuya, all the preparations have been finished. Shall we conduct the execution?"

"...Execution?!"

His captive's shocked yell echoed in the room, filled with both fear and shock. Yet, he could muster up any pity for the man behind him.

"Execution. It can be defined as the death of a person by a ruling government .I am surprised the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy does not know the word."

He then turned back to the man behind him, his eyes glinting with mirth.

"Besides, did you really think I would let you live?"

He turned back to the woman in front of him as he slipped a hand into his pocket. When he pulled it back out, a small remote rested in his hands. It was a simple grey box, decorated with a large red button in the middle.

He glanced at it for a second before tossing it to the ground in front of him. It hit the ground with a clattering sound, landing directly in front of the woman.

Immediately, the woman dropped the bear in her hands and took a step back. The bear did not move for a bit, instead lying in a heap on the ground like any stuffed bear would. During this brief pause, the woman took a few steps back and took out a small smartphone and began twiddling with it.

Within moments, the bear leapt to its feet. Quickly, it waddled over to the remote that eh had tossed to the ground himself. As soon as it reached the remote, it plopped itself onto the ground, like a child sitting down for story time in kindergarden. It then raised one paw high in the air before slamming it down on the remote.

He turned back to the former headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy as the bear activated the remote. The man's purple eyes were wide in terror as the metal doors of his prison closed in front of him and shot up into the sky. Still, he himself could only smile coldly as the rocket quickly launched into the night sky.

For a moment, he stood there, his eyes trained on the hole now clear in the ceiling of the room.

He was not disappointed by what he saw next.

Within minutes, the rocket barrelled back into the room it had just escaped. With a loud boom, it hit the ground, causing a flurry of dust to fill the room. As soon as the dust settled though, the doors of the rocket opened, causing several bones and a human skull to tumble into the room.

The skeletal remains of his former headmaster.

Silence filled the air for a moment as he stared at the skeleton before. Eventually though, he became aware of laughter filling the room. It was cold and unfeeling, more animalistic than it was human in nature.

It took him another moment to realize that it came from him.

He covered his mouth in vain to stifle the noise, but he only continued.

Was it joy he was feeling? Was it sadness?

Or was it something much worse?

"Master Byakuya?"

The tiny squeak of his secretary/half-sister brought him back to reality. He forced himself to silence his laughter before turning to meet her gaze.

"Yes?"

"Well.. Since Phase One has been completed successfully sir… I was wondering if you now wanted to check on the process of Phase Two."

Phase Two…

He felt the beginning of a frown form on his lips, but he forced it down.

"Of course I would. I am sure they have already been sedated?"

She nodded in confirmation of this.

"Of course Master Byakuya. All the participants of the game have been sedated by now. The memory altering process has also begun for some of the participants. The ones who have gone through it are.."

She quickly looked at her phone and twiddled with it once again.

"Kyoko Kirigiri, Aoi Asahina, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and Sakura Oogami have all finished their own memory tempering. Leon Kuwata, Mondo Oowada, and Toko Fukawa are undergoing the procedure at the moment. The rest of the participants are currently being prepared for the procedure." she read off quickly.

He hummed in response to her words and merely strolled past her. He swore that somewhere, he felt an odd feeling, but he pushed it away, instead focusing on his task to get to his destination. After a moment, he heard the sound of clacking heels behind him, signaling that his secretary was now following him.

"Are the participants that have not gone through the procedure still held in the medical room?" he questioned.

"They are being held currently in their dormitories under strict lockdown sir. There are guards set up by each door in case any of them attempt to break free and mess with the procedure. Is there one in particular that you would like to see?"

He found himself freezing mid step, the question bringing up a memory he would rather forget.

" _Byakuya! Wait up!"_

 _He sighed as he heard the scream echoing slightly behind him. He stopped himself at the entrance of the building in front of him and turned to face the figure running toward him._

" _Hurry up you! I am not going to be late because you wanted to sleep in!"_

 _The figure soon reached him, leaning over and panting as soon as he came to a stop next to him. Exhaustion was clear even in his green eyes as he looked back up at him._

" _S-sorry Byakuya! But, you walk too fast!" he whined._

 _He rolled his eyes at his companions complaints._

" _You walk too slow. Honestly, how late did you get up to only NOW be arriving? Also, stop calling me by my first name. We are not friends."_

 _The boy grew sheepish at his question and could not meet his eyes._

" _Heh sorry Togami and um... An hour ago? Komaru forgot to set the alarm in our room so I overslept."_

" _.. Why were you home in the first place? We were supposed to have returned to the dorms yesterday morning. Did you miss that information when it was given to us before we left?"_

 _Somehow, the boy managed to grow even more sheepish at the reminder._

" _I know that, but my family drove me back here and Komaru insisted I spend the night with her at the hotel they were staying at. So I had to stay with them. Luckily though, the hotel is quite close to here, so I was able to make it on time."_

 _He sighed at the excuse but nonetheless, he grabbed his hand and began guiding him into the school building._

" _Huh?! Byakuya, what are you doing?!"_

 _He felt his lips twitch with the beginning of a smile at the boy's surprised reaction, but he forced it down._

" _What do you think I am doing? I am making sure neither of us are late for class."_

" _..Us?"_

 _He silently cursed the boy's catch of his slip up. However, he did not let his shame show. Instead, he simply glanced back at her with a stern look._

" _I know what I said Naegi, do not bother me by echoing my words."_

 _He turned back then, signaling that the conversation was over._

 _In response, he felt his companion squeeze his hand, but nothing more was spoken between them in that moment._

"Master Byakuya?"

His secretary's confused voice brought him out of his flashback. He quickly glanced behind him, noticing that she had come to a stop just behind of him. He also noticed that she was staring at him with a worried look on her face.

In response, he just raised an eyebrow at the worry on her face.

"Do not dare worry about me Shinobu, it is a waste of energy that could be focused on other things. However, you are to come up with me to the dorms. There is someone I.. Someone that I would like to see."

He cursed the hesitance of his voice at the end of his response.

Hesitance was not at all a trait he could afford to show, especially now.

Shinobu quickly molded her face into a neutral expression, but he could tell that she was still worried. He ignored this though, instead turning around and marching through the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy.

His steps echoed through the halls, the only disturbance in an otherwise eerily silent hallway. He found himself glancing around the empty hallways, half-expecting to see students chattering among themselves on their way to their classes.

But he could only see the empty halls of his school around him.

The strange feeling that filled him at the sight of his former headmaster's remains came back to him full force at the realization. It seemed to consume him almost, bathing him in its misery.

He fought against it as he wove his way through the halls, reminding himself that this was his duty as the heir to the Togami Corporation. Everything he did, every word, every action, it was all for the advancement of the corporation. It was his everything.

These students.. His classmates… They were nothing to him in the long run. They were only there as temporary companions, necessary fixtures in the school he once attended. They were not his concern now.

Now he had to put everything towards his father's plan.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he barely noticed as he reached his destination.

The dorm rooms of the 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy.

He glanced over the nameplate proclaiming who resided where. He felt a dull ache seemed to grow within him as he looked over the names, but he forced it away.

Emotions were for the weak after all.

Finally he came to a stop before one of the doors. It was the same as the other's in nature, a simple red door against a red wall.

The nameplate, however, read _Naegi Makoto._

He sucked in a breath and found himself unconsciously reaching out and grabbing the doorknob handle. Before he could stop himself, he opened the door and stepped through it, his eyes widening at the scene before him.

True to Shinobu's words, two sullen guards stood at attention on either side of the entranceway. The room itself though, was practically empty besides them, except for the person lying silently on the bed. Due to this, his eyes were automatically drawn to the unconscious young man.

Despite their similar age, the boy was still as short as ever, only a fraction of his magnificent height. His spiky brown hair lay limply on his head and his green eyes, once shining with life and happiness, now were shut tight. If he did not know any better, he would have assumed the other boy was dying.

Then again, was he not about to die in a way?

Something tugged at his heart as he saw how uncharacteristically lifeless the other boy was. This time, however, the pain seemed to be even worse, desiring to drag him into the deepest pit of his mind and utterly destroy him. He could feel his heart seize up at the ache inside of him and he swore his eyes began to get misty as he realized exactly what he was damning the boy to.

He wondered what was wrong with him. The boy before him was a simple commoner who got a lucky break by being accepted into the academy.

So why was it causing him so much pain to think of what awaited him?

Suddenly, the boy's green eyes shot open, startling him. The boy stared at him for a bit, shock and fear in his eyes.

"Byakuya….? Byakuya what is-"

"Sir get back!"

He felt one of the guards suddenly grab his wrist and pull him away from the boy. The other guard dashed around them, shouting loudly as he tackled the other boy. The boy screamed at this and tried in vain to fight against guard, but to no avail. Easily, the guard restrained him, restraining his movement and shouting for a tranquilizer.

"Call the medical team now! One of the participants has awoken!"

Distantly, he heard Shinobu's scream for a medical team, as well as the screams of the guard holding him to get back.

But all he could do was mindlessly stare at the boy in front of him.

He felt an overwhelming desire to help the boy out and free him from the hell that awaited him. He could easily call off the guard and have the boy himself flown somewhere else.

He could easily save him.

However, all he did was turn away from the scene in front of him.

Naegi Makoto was no longer anything but a mindless participant in his little game. He was nothing worth the pity of the Heir of the Togami Corporation.

At least, that is what he told himself.

As soon as he turned away from the scene, he became face to face with the arriving medical team. They stared at him silently, obviously awaiting his next orders.

He took a deep breath before speaking, forcing himself to prepare to lock away any vestiges of guilt or pain that would plague him after his next sentence.

"Subdue him."


	2. Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy

The first thing he was aware of was darkness.

He blinked instinctively, trying his best to see past the initial darkness. Once he did this, he was finally able to catch sight of some light around him. A few more blinks allowed his eyes to get used to the dim light, revealing his environment to him.

He was in a classroom, ordinary in nature at first glance. There was a blackboard in front of him and a multitude of desks surrounded him on all sides. The walls though were an odd shade of yellow.

As he took a closer look around the room though, he became aware of two very notable items.

First off, the Windows were sealed shut. A large sheet of metal covered the windows, held in place by several large bolts in each corner. Not even a slight glimpse of the world could be seen behind of the metal, a realization that sent a shiver down his spine.

The next item he noticed was not as startling as his discovery of the windows. It was just a security camera, though, nothing truly extraordinary in nature.

Once he got a hold of his environment, he then tried to figure out how he had gotten there in the first place.

The last thing he could remember though, was walking into the exclusive Hope's Peak Academy.

If he focused hard enough, he could barely make out a memory of stepping into the entrance hall of the academy, brimming with delight and pride that he was indeed selected to become a member of its elite class.

He bit his lip at this and looked closer at his surroundings, a dark thought surfacing within him.

Was.. Was he in Hope's Peak right now?

A closer look around him revealed nothing new to him, But it made it perfectly obvious that he was at a school at the moment.

So it was possible that he was at Hope's Peak at the moment?

Even if that was so though, why we're the windows boarded up in such a manner? And why was he alone in this room?

He felt the first branches of panic well up within him, but he forced it down. Panicking would not help his situation at all. Right now, he needed to figure out if he was truly in the exclusive academy of Hope's Peak.

If he was, well he had a lot of questions about what on earth was going on.

Slowly, he rose from his seat, glancing around as he did to see if there was in response to his own. To his relief though, there was nothing.

Once he was positive that no one else was in the room, he made his way out of the room, eager to find any clues that could possibly hint at where he was currently located.

When he stepped out of the room though, he was surprised by the area that stood before him.

The building had an unusual lighting design, with purple lighting in one section of the floor and green in the other section of it. Other than that, it seemed to be a normal school hallway, if not a bit extravagant in design with high ceilings and elegant archways decorating said ceiling at certain intervals.

This fed his slight suspicion that he was indeed at Hope's Peak Academy, as no normal building would have such elegant designs, in their hallways.

He then proceeded to wander around the first floor. He was able to find some more rooms in his search, specifically an AV room, a laundry room, an area for food, and a dormitory. These discoveries, however,only solidified his belief that he was located in Hope's Peak Academy.

Something that unnerved him though was the silence. Every step he made echoed in the quiet hallways, making him more and more nervous as he made his way through the school.

If he truly was at Hope's Peak.. Then where were the students?

His answer lied in what he assumed to be the entrance hall of the Academy. It had been the final room that he had stumbled upon and so naturally he stepped into it.

That was when his suspicions were confirmed.

Before him stood fifteen teenagers, all in ranging appearances. They seemed to be randomly selected, with one girl being dressed in gothic lolita clothes and a boy dressed in something akin to a military uniform.

Even with the mismatched appearances before him, he was able to identify who was standing in front of him at the moment.

The Ultimates from the 78th Class of Hope's Peak Academy.

He felt his mouth go dry at the sight of them.

These students were the best in their fields. Even at their young age. They were leaders in various topics, from athletics to underground gambling if his research the night before was true.

And they were to be his classmates from that day forward.

"Hey look! There's someone in the doorway!"

"Tardiness is inexcusable, especially on the first day! This behavior is against school regulations!"

He suddenly realized that during his musings, the students before him had become aware of his presence in the room. He weakly smiled at them and held up a hand in greetings.

"Umm.. Hello? I am guessing you all are also attending Hope's Peak Academy?"

A tan girl in a red sporting jacket and blue shorts jumped up at this, her blue eyes gleaming.

"Yep! All of us are part of the 78th class!"

"Currently however," the girl dressed in Gothic Lolita clothing interrupted, " We are trying to figure out why we are here and why there is a giant lock currently on this door."

"Huh?!"

In his awe of finally seeing the Ultimates of his year, he had missed the giant lock before them, though he was confused on how he did considering filled the entire wall it was on. Still, it was there, massive and seemingly impenetrable.

"Wow…" he said lamely.

As soon as he finished gawking at the lock though, another girl stepped forward. She had light blond hair that was pinned neatly in a bun and was dressed neatly in a white dress shirt with a black business jacket and a pencil skirt.

"Perhaps we should take the time to introduce ourselves to our new arrival. We may have done it already, but he was not present during the exchange."

Her voice, though quiet, had a persuasive air to it. As soon as she finished speaking, the others began to mumble in agreement.

"I agree! It is only proper to introduce ourselves!" The military-clad boy agreed.

Since no one voiced an objection to the notion, the Ultimates proceeded to line themselves up against the wall, making it easier for him to greet all of them.

He started from the left, with a young man in punk rock clothing and spiky red hair.

"Yo! My name is Leon Kuwata! Nice to meet you. I am the Ultimate Baseball Player."

Next was a young man dressed entirely in biking attire.

"The name is Mondo Oowada, the Ultimate Biker. Nice to fucking meet ya!"

The list went on and on.

The girl dressed in Gothic Lolita was named Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. To her right, the boy with extensive dreadlocks introduced himself as Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. After him was Kyoko Kirigiri, a quiet girl dressed in a purple out that was reminiscent of a detective from a television show that refused to tell him her talent. Kiyotaka Ishimaru though, the military clad boy beside her, was more than happy to shout out his talent as the Ultimate Moral Compass. Beside him were Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba, respectively the Ultimate Fashionista and Soldier. Junko beamed at in her fashionable clothes, while Mukuro just looked at him blankly in her plain white shirt and black skirt. Next was Toko Fukawa, the stuttering Ultimate Writer, who accused him of looking lecherously at her for some odd reason. Beside her was Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation and fellow student from his old middle school. He tried to talk to her a bit more, but was soon ushered to the next person.

Following her was Sakura Oogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist, who nodded her head at the sight of him, saying that she hoped to see him on the battlefield one day. Then, there was Aoi Asahina, the bubbly, blue-eyed athletic girl from before who introduced herself as the Ultimate Swimmer. Beside her was Hifumi Yamada, the large fandom enthusiast who introduced himself as the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. Next to him was the small, nervous Chihiro Fujisaki, who introduced herself in a trembling voice as the Ultimate Programmer.

Then, he met her.

The young blond smiled at him, though it was clear it was fake by the lack of happiness behind it. Her green eyes seemed to pierce him, filled with wariness and curiosity.

"My name is Shinobu Togami. I am here as the Ultimate Secretary."

Shinobu Togami?

Something about her presence seemed to set off alarms in his head. It seemed to be so bitterly obvious, but he just could not place why.

Then, he saw it.

 _A young man stood before him, elegantly dressed in a business suit. There was an odd green criss cross tie by his throat but other than that, he looked like a normal business man. His hair color was a similar blond color to Shinobu's but his eyes were blue, not green. Suddenly, the young man's eyes met his and he soon realized he was smirking at him._

" _Byakuya Togami. Member of Hope's Peak Academy's 78th Class as the Ultimate Heir. Try not to get in my way too much, will you?"_

He found himself blinking in shock at this, confusion running through him.

Byakuya Togami….

"Excuse me sir, is something wrong? You look pale."

He looked up at the confused Ultimate and smiled weakly.

"Umm.. Yes. But ah.. Do you have a brother by chance named Byakuya?"

Shinobu's eyes flashed at this and for a second, panic filled her face before it was schooled back into cold indifference.

"I do not in fact. Why-"

Suddenly, a loud sound filled the entrance hall.

Ding Dong. Ding Dong.

"Greetings to the 78th Class of Hope's Peak Academy. Please head to the gym for the orientation!"


	3. Orientation

Her lips twitched as the announcement to head to the gym was announced.

Impeccable timing as usual Master Byakuya.

Her fellow students seemed as relieved as she was at the announcement.

"Finally man! Some answers from this place!" The idiotic Ultimate Clairvoyant cheered as he sped out of the entrance hall.

"No running in the hallways ruffian!" Screeched the Ultimate Moral Compass as he speed walked after him.

The rest of the Ultimates followed suit, talking amiably to each other in relief.

Well, except for two of them.

Kyoko looked suspicious as she slowly made her way out of the hall. Her purple eyes, so much like the eyes of the now deceased headmaster, flashed between her and Makoto, who was also following slowly.

Makoto Naegi.

She glanced over at the Ultimate Lucky Student. The boy seemed to be still confused when he glanced over at her.

He looked like he was expecting to see Master Byakuya instead of her.

Her mind still spun at the boy's revelation.

How could the memory alteration fail on her? It had been perfect on the others!

It was not like the boy was anything special either. All of the data she had been able to find on the boy indicated that she was normal as humanly possible.

However, there was one thing she had neglected in her calculators.

The boy's relationship with Byakuya.

She bit her lip in thought at her revelation.

When there search was done on all of the participants, no one had dared to ask Master Byakuya on his personal relationship with any of the participants.

They all knew the answer that he would give easily.

He would merely brush them off, saying it did not matter as in the long run, as the game would only benefit the Togami Corporation endeavors.

Typically, this answer would be satisfactory, as it was the words of the heir to the Togami Corporation.

But it was not Byakuya's words.

Not truly at least.

She had her suspicions on his true opinion of the game, one that no one, not even she would ever point out in fear of the punishment following.

Her fists tightened in annoyance and worry.

If only she could talk to him, perhaps then she could...

She forced herself to cut off the thought there.

No. She could not talk to him as equals anymore. He was Master Byakuya.

Not little Byakuya, the baby of the family who used to curl up with her in the library to read.

He was her master and her, his lowly servant.

That was her own bitter reality.

She shook herself out of her thoughts, refocusing her thoughts back on the issues currently underway at the moment.

Makoto Naegi's procedure had gone wrong to an extent, a grave error. This would have to be discussed later with Master Byakuya. For now though, she had to report to the gym with the others for the commencement of the game.

She quickly followed the others to the gym, careful to keep her distance.

After all, she knew the pain of companionship all too well.

There was no point in pursuing one in the end, especially when she was unaware of who exactly would snap first under the pressure of the game.

She was one of the last in the gym, but this worked out to her benefit as it allowed her to take refuge at the back of the gym.

She scanned the room around her then, noting that all the participants were in the room.

Now all she was waiting for was...

"Hello! I am Monokuma! Your headmaster ! Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy!"

... Monokuma to show up.

Her attention was now drawn to the black and white bear that was seated on the stage across from her.

However, while everyone else was in a state of shock, she was fighting back a laugh.

The bear had spoken in a high pitched, almost childish voice, a large contests to Master Byakuya's own cold and refined voice. The difference was highly amusing to her in a way. Luckily though, the other students were too shocked to notice her amusement.

"What?!"

"Is that a bear?!"

"Is this a joke?! Why is there a teddy bear on the stage?!"

All of the Ultimates voiced their shock and denial, but the last comment drew the bear's visible ire. It's red eye flashed and it's countenance changed slightly.

"I am not a teddy bear! I am Monokuma! The headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy!"

Confusion seemed to consume the students before her.

"...The headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy… Is a black and white bear..?"

Makoto spaced out his words slowly, disbelief clear on his face.

Monokuma's eyes flashed once more, but he then began to cackle.

"Of course I am! Now, onto the main event of today's assembly, Orientation! First off-"

"T-there has to be a speaker somewhere! Bears do not just talk!" The Ultimate Clairvoyant screamed.

With that, he ran forward and grabbed Monokuma from the stage . Anxiously, he scanned the animal, disbelief written clear on his face.

Her lips twitched at the man's actions.

Wrong move.

Suddenly, spikes appeared out of nowhere from all directions. Screams instantly filled the air as all the Ultimates tried to dodge the spikes hurtling towards them from unknown directions.

But it was unnecessary for most of those who tried to dodge the spikes.

After all, there was only one target for those spikes.

The Ultimate Clairvoyant staggered, choking as he tried in vain to reach for the spikes now impaled deeply into his flesh. His body seemed to be stained red from his wounds.

"Wh… What.. The…."

Monokuma paid no mind to this, simply leaping from the man's arms and jumping back onto the stage.

"Upupupupupu! That's what you get for being impatient and not listening to the rules!" he giggled.

Yasuhiro Hagakure continued to choke, only standing due to the spikes impaled in his flesh.

"S-Some...one… help… me…." he begged.

But no one came forward.

Suddenly, the spikes retracted, stained red with the blood of the former Ultimate. His lifeless body then flopped to the ground, having only been propped up by the spikes that had ended his life.

The rest of the Ultimates could only stare in horror. No one dared to move. They just watched as their fellow classmate fell to the ground, motionless..

A small smile filled her face at this, pride filling her as she saw Master Byakuya's flawless execution of the plan.

Monokuma almost seemed to mirror her smile as he clapped his hands and cackled joyfully.

"Welcome to your new school lives!"

* * *

Points to anyone who can see the reference to a particular game ;).


	4. Rules

He stared at the body before him, his mind whirling with various emotions. They were coming over him so fast, he could barely recognize them as they came over him. He could recognize shock at least, as well as anger, fear, and.. Grief?

That was the emotion that confused him the most.

He would have understood his grief if it was more distant, like the slight grief that one feels when they see news of a tragic death on the news. One would shake your head and say what a shame it was that the poor soul died, but that would be all that you would feel.

That was not what he was feeling at all.

The grief he felt was like he had just been suckerpunched in the stomach. He felt as if he had just lost a close friend, like Hagakure had meant more to him than just another person in the room.

But that could not be the case. After all, she had just met Hagakure that day.

Right?

In a lame attempt to distract himself from his confusing grief, he glanced around the room to see the reactions of the students surrounding him. Most of them had similar expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces, as if they could not understand what had just occurred. He could see Sayaka Maizono wrapping her arms around herself as she shivered, her usually happy expression replaced with a cold mask of shock and pain. Chihiro Fujisaki and Aoi Asahina were already crying though, mirroring each other's sadness.

In this sea of shock and pain, however, there was one anomaly.

Shinobu Togami.

When he glanced over at her, he was shocked to realize to realize that she was not at all upset with this turn of events. In fact, he could see a smile on her face. It was a small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Alarm bells rang in his head at this.

How could anyone be able to smile at the gruesome scene before them?!

He opened his mouth to comment on this strange phenomena, confusion and slight anger running through him at this strange behavior. However, just as he was about to point out the girl's strange behavior, he felt a hand wrap itself around his upper arm.

He turned instinctively at the motion and found himself staring into piercing purple eyes.

Kyoko Kirigiri seemed to give him a warning look, though there was a slight calculating edge to the look she gave him.

"Ignore her for now. For now, let's focus on Monokuma."

Her lips barely moved as she spoke, most likely in an attempt to hide their exchange from the others.

He gave a slight nod in response, recognizing that now was not the time to argue. Besides, she was right. Togami's strange behavior could wait.

For now, they had a bear to deal with.

Kirigiri proceeded to step forward at that moment, her gaze now on the grinning bear before them.

"May I enquire about your reasoning for this distasteful act of yours?"

Monokuma's smile only grew as he threw his head back and cackled.

"It's not my fault that you guys did not shut up and listen to the rules!"

"The.. rules?"

His choked question escaped his throat before he could stop it. As a result, Monokuma's attention was soon drawn to him.

"That's right~! The rules of Hope's Peak Academy! After all, all schools have to have rules! And if you all can pay attention for a moment, I can finally start orientation and tell you them!"

All of the students immediately looked up at this announcement. All eyes were now locked onto the bear as they waited in anticipation and dread for his next words. Not one person dared to speak.

Monokuma clapped his hands together at this and his face morphed into a pleased expression.

"Good! The peanut gallery has shut up! Now orientation can begin properly!"

The bear raised a paw to his mouth, miming the action of clearing one's throat.

"Now. Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy! All of you have been selected to walk through these honored halls due to your incredible skills. To the world, you all are symbols of hope, a sign of a bright future that is yet to come over the world. Therefore, to protect all of you, an executive decision has been made by the glorious leaders of the academy!"

"It has been decided that all of you will live out your lives here in the Academy!"

He felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on his head, shocked and horrified.

He was...trapped in here?!

Around him, the hall burst into protests, as the other Ultimates showcased their anger.

"WHAT?!"

"We have to live here with a psychotic teddy bear for the rest of our lives?!" Asahina squeaked out, her blue eyes wide with terror.

Monokuma's red eye flashed at this as sharp claws appeared on the fingertips of his paws.

"For the last time, I am not a teddy bear! Besides, we have enough money here to ensure that all of you will be able to live out the rest of your days in style and comfort!"

"That's not what our main concern is! What about our families?! What about our lives outside of school?!" Maizono demanded as she shook more than she had been previously.

Monokuma waved a dismissive paw at this, having already retracted his claws.

"What does all of that matter? You could learn to love it here. But in case you don't.. Well there is a way to leave."

The bear's voice drew colder at the last part of his sentence, sending a shiver down his spine.

Something told him that this method of escape would not be pleasant in the slightest.

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow at the bear's words, the wariness on her face signaling that she had similar thoughts. However, the other ultimates showed obvious relief.

"Then crap the crap and tell us!" snarled Mondo Oowada, annoyance clear on his face.

Monokuma's red eye flashed red once more as he threw his head back and cackled.

"If you want to escape so badly, then all you have to do is kill someone!"

The room fell silent at this sudden turn of events, once again taken aback by the twists the bear was throwing at them.

"H-huh?" Fujisaki's whisper broke the silence as she stared up at Monokuma, her eyes filled with horror.

Ishimaru had to take a step back himself, his own face contorted in shock and disgust.

"We… what?!" he choked out.

He himself stayed silent once more as he looked up at the bear, his stomach churning in a mixture of horror and fear.

This.. This could not be happening!

Monokuma simply leapt to his feet, throwing his arms out wide as he did so.

"I said, the only way that any of you guys will get out of here is through murder! After all, this school does follow the standards set up by today's society! And per society's standards, if you disturb the peace, you are out! So if you want to get out of this academy, you have to kill someone and get away with it!"

Monokuma then proceeded to jump down from the podium, landing directly in front of the students.

"You can use whatever method you guys want to do! You can stab, strangle, clobber, slice, behead, anything! Just make sure it's fatal and that no one catches you! If you do that, you get off scot free!"

"N-no way!" Toko Fukawa staggered away from the group, horror clear on every inch of her

The other students seemed to have similar reactions, even Togami. They stared at Monokuma, their horror and fear radiating off them.

However, Kirigiri soon stepped forward, her eyes flashing with dislike as she looked at Monokuma.

"If your purpose is to kill us, then why not murder us like you did Hagakure? Surely it would not be difficult to do the same to us." she questioned.

Monokuma simply shrugged at her.

"Well.. He got a bit on my nerves. Honestly, you youngsters today are so impulsive. Besides, all of you needed a reality check about who really runs this school as I guess you all are not intimidated by little old me. So, he was more of an example than anything."

Kirigiri raised a hand to her chin, her face now blank.

"I see. He was used as a show of your strength in case any of us thought of stepping out of line."

Monokuma nodded in confirmation of her thoughts.

"Exactly! Plus, he broke a school rule! A truant like that deserves to be made an example of"

"Yes, these school rules that you have mentioned, but have yet to tell us." Kirigiri shot back.

Monokuma seemed to glare at her for a bit, but soon his face was back in it's normal position.

"Touche. Well, if you are that curious to see what they are, then here you go!"

Monokuma leapt back to the podium on the stage and messed around behind it for a second. Then, he turned back to them, now holding a basket filled with what looked to be digital tablets.

"Behold! Your student handbooks, or as I call them, ElectroiDs! When you start them up, they will showcase your name, so make sure that there is no mixup between any of you. Inside are the rules of the academy, a map of the school, and other essential items for your school life here! Be careful not to lose them! Also, I would like to remind you that you will still be held to the rules of the academy no matter what. No matter what occurs, rule breaking will be met with strict punishment, so study up on those rules!"

He tossed the basket to the floor in front of them carelessly, though somehow, none of them seemed to shatter, despite their treatment.

Monokuma then stood once more and stretched out his arms one more time.

"I believe that does it for today's orientation! Enjoy your new school lives everyone, even if it is cut short!"

With that, Monokuma disappeared behind the podium.

Leon Kuwata immediately ran to the podium after this, checking frantically for the bear.

"What the heck?! The stupid bear is gone!"

"What do you mean it's gone?!" Sakura Oogami asked, quickly making her way over there to help him search for their missing captor.

As they did this, Asahina made her way to the basket, shakily calling out names for students to come and grab their ElectroiD. Slowly, each student stepped forward, accepting the ElectroiD without a word. Some turned it on, eager to see what lied beneath its shiny screen. Others wandered around the room, either searching for a way out, or examining the walls for any crack in it that could be used as a way to give them an method of escape.

He looked around at all the students around them, trying desperately to keep his breathing level as he watched all of them as they examined the room or the ElectroiDs they had just been given.

There was no need to panic, he told himself.

After all, it was not like anyone actually took Monokuma's words to heart.

….Right?


	5. Turmoil

He leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers together, his blue eyes trained on the screens before him.

Even from a distance, he could see the fear and pain filling the face of his former classmates.

And it was glorious.

He smirked as he saw Hagakure's lifeless body on the ground.

It was a twist of events that could not have been executed more perfectly.

To be perfectly honest, he had expected Hagakure to be one of the first to perih. With his endless jabbering about spirits and aliens, as well as his cowardly nature, he would obviously prove to be an easy target.

But in the end, it was he who would take the Ultimate's life.

He chuckled a bit in delight as he looked upon the scene he had created.

The gym was quiet as the students began looking through their student handbooks. Many tried to keep up signs of strength and nonchalance, but he could not help but smirk as he saw even Kirigiri and Ludenburg's hands shake as they flicked through the rules on their student handbooks. Those who had already finished looking through the rules only could look at the body in their midst in silence, too stunned to talk. Even Kuwata and Oowada had gone quiet, having found nothing behind the podium.

The pain on their faces, he confusion and fear in their eyes...

It was beautiful.

Yes, perhaps some would say it was a sudden death on his part, but it got his point across to the students perfectly and that was all that mattered.

He leaned closer to the screen, trying to see the full reactions of his former classmates.

But as soon as he did so, his eyes fell on Naegi.

His enjoyment froze as soon as he caught sight of him.

Makoto was shaking slightly in place as her green eyes began roaming around the room. Trepidation was clear on his face as he glanced at his fellow classmates with the slightest hint of distrust.

Somehow, the fear he was showing was not at all appealing to him. In fact it sent a unpleasant emotion running through him to see it on her.

He frowned at this new phenomena. He then turned back to the rest of his former classmates, unease now settling in on him.

Somehow, their anguish had lost its appeal as well. It was now somewhat unsettling to him to see their fear.

But why was that?

He leaned back in his chair, his frown growing as he did so.

How had his opinion on his captive's anguish changed so suddenly? They were nothing but pawns in his game, not worthy of any emotion from him.

Still…

He glanced at the body lying on the gym floor on the screen in front of him. He took a closer look at the body, examining the wounds he body sustained with a more precise eye. He found himself wincing as he did so, noting the numerous holes now present on the young man's body.

Did Yasuhiro Hagakure truly deserve such a painful death?

He bit his lip at the thought, allowing a small memory to resurface in his mind.

 _He leaned back against a tree, eyeing the situation before him with amusement._

 _His fellow classmates were messing around in the newly fallen snow. Typically, such a mediocre scene would not receive his attention. However, he had to fight back a smile somehow as his classmate's laughter filled the air. Previously , he had been helping some of them build a snowman worthy of an Ultimate by directing them, but now he simply leaned against a tree._

 _For some odd reason, he felt at peace, even with Toko Fukawa drooling art him from her hiding spot a little bit away from him._

 _Then, he felt something cold and wet hit the back of his head._

 _He immediately whirled around at the action, his former peace gone as he angrily seeked the assailant._

 _He soon found the culprit leaning against a nearby tree with a smik as they casually tossed a ball of snow up and down in the air._

' _What the hell was that Hagakure?!" he demanded._

 _The Ultimate Clairvoyant raised an eyebrow at his words._

" _What does it look like Toges? I am trying to start a snowball fight."_

 _He raised an eyebrow himself at his classmates' words._

" _A snowball fight? Really Hagakure? We are not children!"_

" _Aww, but Toges, snowball fights are not just for kids you know." the idiot defended, causing him to raise his own eyebrow more._

" _Oh really? Then tell me who exactly would partake in such a childish act?"_

 _Hagakure smiled at his words and leaned around him to address their classmates._

" _Yo! Who's up for a snowball fight?"_

 _Most of their classmates lit up at the idea._

" _Yeah, totally!" Asahina grinned, getting up from the bench she had been sitting on with Oogami by her side._

" _Snowball fights are against the rules!" Ishimaru had squeaked indignantly, but Oowada merely laughed and ruffled his hair._

" _Oh come on Bro! Live a little!"_

" _Yeah Kiyotaka!" Fujisaki piped up from beside them, smiling at the duo beside them warmly._

 _Maizono had jumped up from her position by the snowman he had directed them to make._

" _A snowball fight sounds like fun! Come on Makoto and Kyoko!" she urged her friends._

 _Kirigiri had given her a weak smile, but Makoto had beamed at her._

" _Of course Sayaka!" he cheered_

 _Leon grinned at Hagakure from behind a tree, already holding multiple snowballs in his hands._

" _Already loaded dude!"_

" _As fun as this sounds, I must return to my beloved 2-D world."_

 _Yamada quickly made an excuse not to participate, having already began to back away from the group._

" _I must say the same. I must have my twice daily tea." Ludenburg stated, standing up quietly from her sat from another bench._

 _Enoshima rolled her eyes at them as she began creating her own snowballs._

" _Lame! You guys are just a bunch of weaklings." she mocked a sher sister eyed her worriedly from her resting place by yet another tree._

 _Celeste froze at this, eyeing the fashionista coldly._

" _Excuse me Enoshima? What did you just say about me: she hissed._

 _A hush came over the group as all eyes went from Enoshima to Ludenburg._

" _I said you were being a weakling because you are leaving before the snowball fight." Enoshima elaborated, her voice proud and steady as she spoke._

" _YOU DAMN CLOTHES LOVING BITCH! I WILL SHOW YOU WHO IS THE WEAKLING!"_

 _Ludenburg's scream echoed through the clearing as she quickly grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at the Ultimate Fashionista._

 _Enoshima shrieked t this and quickly responded in kind to the Ultimate Gambler._

 _Within minutes, the entire group had followed suit, proceeding to throw snowballs at each other as accurately as they possibly could._

 _He could see Fujisaki and Ishimaru ganging up on Oowada as they pelted him with snow. Asahina and Oogami merely seemed to attack anyone sight in contrast, mainly focusing on Hagakure, Maizono, Kuwata, and Yamada, who had reluctantly joined in. Fukawa was nowhere in sight as she seemed to have slunk off in the madness._

 _He, of course, did not partake in such a mediocre actively. He had chosen the more intelligent option of avoiding the mess altogether._

 _Certain people did not respect his wish to stay out of the madness though, as within minutes of the fight starting, he felt two snowballs hit his back. He turned around at this again, only to find a sheepishly grinning Naegi and a smirking Kirigiri looking back at him._

" _Come on Togami! Enjoy the fun!" Naegi urged._

 _If he as ever questioned on that day, he would always claim that he had gone back to his dorm room. He had not leaned down and taken a small bit of snow into his hands and he certainly had not launched it at the duo who before him. The afternoon had been spent studying for his exams, not laughing as he threw snowballs at his fellow students as he allowed himself one glorious day to let go of his duties as an heir._

 _All thanks to the idiot who had decided to throw a snowball at his back._

As he came out of the memory, he found that han unknown pain was coursing through him as he considered his actions, actions that had lead to the death of a fellow classmate.

Hagakure had not deserved it... He was an idiot yes, but idiots could be allowed to live if they were taught the proper way to live. He was…

… Nothing.

He forced the ache inside him away, as well any other emotion tying him to the captives on the screen before him.

What the hell was wrong with him?! Why was he sitting here pitying these damn Ultimates.

They were nothing! Nothing but a stepping stone that had to be crossed to allow the Togami Corporation to rule.

With every death, with every loss of life that would occur among the fools on the screen, his family would benefit.

That was all that mattered.

The past meant nothing anymore. Yes, he may have glorious memories with the Ultimates but that is all they were, memories.

Memories that held no value in the cruel world they lived in.

He had not gotten to where he was now by being sentimental with memories of the past. No, he had fought his way to the top, fighting tooth and nail to gain his wealth and status.

And his pity for the Ultimates would not be his downfall.

Not if he could help it.

A sudden knock on the door behind him sent a shiver down his spine. He jumped slightly, before cautiously turning to the door, quickly forcing his inner turmoil down

"Yes?" he called.

"Master Byakuya, your father is on the phone."

* * *

 **So.. It's been a while huh?**

My apologies for the late upload. The last month has been hectic and I have barely been able to even get to my laptop, let alone have the time to actually write this chapter. I am hoping that the next month provides me more time to write and update this fic.

To make up for it, I intend to update this fic by next Sunday with part 2 of this chapter, hence why it is a bit short. I had originally intended for it to be longer, but then I ended up having to write this at 1 AM my time so.. Yeah I decided to postpone it to later this week.

My only note on this chapter is a brief explanation for Togami's behavior in this fic, this chapter in particular. Yes, this story is a Mastermind!Byakuya fic. However, I do Not intend on him having the same goals as Junko does in the game like many other versions of MasterMind Aus. As every fan of this game knows, this series has a multitude of different characters. It is because of this that I have made the Togami Corporation Togami's main influence in doing this, a point that will be elaborated on in the next chapter. The Togami Corporation is the biggest influence on Togami's life, whereas Despair was Junko's biggest influence. It makes more sense for that to be his motivation, rather than despair.

In addition, I believe that Togami would act differently if he had his memories. In the first game, Togami's actions stem from his memory loss as he does not remember all the memories he made with his fellow classmates, so he acted like his douchey self. In the second game and Another Episode where he does have his memories, you can see how he is still his douchey self, but he does show care for even Fukawa. In this fic, however, he does retain his memories, so I believe that would influence his emotions on this entire fiasco as it goes on. This is only the beginning of his memories influence on him.

I would like to end this by thanking everyone who has left a review, favorite and follow and I wish all the readers that have stuck with this fic the best.

(And here's to hoping the anime does not destroy us all with feels!)


	6. Conversation

A chill ran down his spine as his servant's words filled the control room.

His father wanted a meeting now of all times?!

He forced his slight panic down, quickly pulling himself back together.

There was nothing to fear from a conversation from his father. It was most likely because of Hagakure's death that his father chose to speak to him.

There were consequences for actions and his father would simply inform him of his.

The thought of it did not help his nerves in the slightest though.

Still, he cleared his throat and straightened in his chair.

"Very well. Send the video message to me now then." he ordered.

"Yes Master Byakuya."

Within seconds of him giving the order, his father's face appeared on the monitors before him.

It was not a surprise that he bore a striking resemblance to his father, more so than the rest of his numerous siblings had. This was a source of pride to him, as it was another sign of his worthiness as the true successor to the Togami Corporation.

The duo shared the same light blond hair, though his father's was longer and was tied back in a low ponytail. They also had similar facial features, like their mouth, nose, and eye shape.

The only thing he seemed to share with his mother was his eyes as he had inherited her light blue eyes.

At the moment, his father was leaning back in his own chair, a pleased expression clear on his face as his gaze fell on him. He appeared to be in his study at the moment, as he could see the corners of two bookshelves at the edges of the camera his father was using as he sat at his desk.

"Byakuya! I must say, you have outdone yourself with that stunt of yours! Killing off an ultimate so easily, now that is an act worthy of the heir of the Togami Corporation!"

A smile unconsciously filled his face as he nodded at his father's words, his nerves melting away as he did so.

" I am glad that my actions have fit your standards Father."

His father's lips turned slightly upward at his words.

"I am glad to see such unwavering devotion to our cause. I must say, I may have had my doubts about if you would be able to pull off such a scheme once it was announced by you. But like always Byakuya you have managed to surprise me."

He felt his inner pride grow at his father's words. Rather than let himself grow discouraged at his father's initial doubt, he allowed himself the delight in surprising him with his skills.

His entire life had been built upon proving himself and defeating all the doubt that other had for his skills.

This was merely another victory against those doubts.

"I am pleased to hear that Father. How goes your plans for the world?" he probed, curious himself to the state of the world as he had no time recently to pick up on the current status of the world.

His father's slight smile morphed into a full blown smirk.

"It has been going splendidly. Already, nations around the world have been realizing the futility of their struggles. In fact, this week I have received statements from italy and France about a possible surrender on their side. There are issues though as, for instance, America and Germany have proven to be a thorn in my side in regards to their resistance to the inevitable,"

Here his father sighed, annoyance clear on his face now.

"Honestly, these westerners are proving to be an annoyance. They never seem to realize that there are somethings that you simply cannot overcome with silly things like hope. It's logic that runs our world, not silly emotions. You cannot go parade around silly ideals like freedom and expect to win based just on the euphoria from that. Still, I believe that we will soon have the world under our grip once this game of yours continues further."

He frowned a bit at his father's words, a similar type of annoyance welling up within him at the thought of the resistance piling up against his family's company.

Why could they not see the futility in their actions? The Togami Corporation was meant to rule the world!

After all, it was the only thing that could save this rotten world.

Or was it?

The traitorous thought filled his head before he could prevent it.

He felt his blood ran cold at the very thought. He forced the idea out of his mind without a second thought, harshly reminding himself internally that this was not true in the slightest.

After all, he himself knew the power of the corporation all too well.

"I see. Is there any word on any rebellion group in Japan? I can handle that situation myself during my spare time dealing with the killing game?" he questioned quickly, desperate to distract himself from his traitorous thought.

His father raised an eyebrow at his words.

"Are you sure about that? I believe it might be better for you to just deal with encouraging the Ultimates to pursue the killing game."

He clenched his fist at the sound of doubt in his father's voice, irritation growing within him at his words.

Had he not just proved just how useful he was to their cause? There should be no reason at all for his father to doubt his skills and knowledge.

"Father, it is best for me to focus on eliminating all threats to our organization above all. I am positive that I can handle any situation these plebeians could throw at me." he assured him.

His father still seemed hesitant, but he nodded still at his words.

"Very well Byakuya, if you insist on this task, I will allow you to undertake it. All relevant data will be sent to you within the hour."

He nodded at his father's words, his resolve to prove himself strengthening within him.

"Thank you Father. I assure you, I will not let you down. Now, who is it that I will be facing as an adversary in this task?"

"I believe they address themselves as the Future Foundation."

* * *

 **I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it was meant to only to a be a part 2 to last chapter, so it was meant to be shorter than my usual chapters.**

The last two were meant to explain a little bit more of the thought process of Byakuya and to begin the explanation on why Byakuya was the mastermind in this universe. The full reasoning will be explained throughout this story, but I figured now would be a good time to start at least.

On terms of further updating, I decided that this story will be updated once a week from now on. Most likely this will be on Thursdays as I seem have to have the most time then. I initially wanted to do three times a week, but I realized this week after writing Fall, that might now be the healthiest option.

My reasoning for that is simply that I worked my tailend off for that twoshot, resulting me literally getting sick from little sleep and eating as a result of me overworking myself trying to get the chapters out. When I wasn't writing I had other matters to deal with and all of those things combined made me realize I might need to calm down with the writing. While I do not have similar time constraints now, I would rather not put myself in that situation again.

However, I did like the change in pace that Fall gave me, as I find I am not exactly happy writing only one story line at a time. So, I have decided to create a Naegami collection of one-shots for other Naegami story plots and such that will be updated twice a month. Don't worry it will not be entirely depressing like this story and Fall xD. So be on the look out for that in the upcoming weeks!

There is another story in the works though, but i'll save that information for a later date. ;)

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I thank everyone who left a review, favorited or followed, it was very appreciated!

Till next time!


	7. Separation

She scanned the area around her with a calculating eye, her body slightly tense as she did so.

She was not going to die, she assured herself. After all, she reminded herself, Master Byakuya saw the value she held as a spy, so he would obviously make sure she would not perish at the hands of one of the students.

Still, she could not hold back her slight unease as she scanned her fellow students. She quickly noted that she was not the only one who seemed uneasy though, as she soon saw how the others looked around their fellow captives with distrust.

She felt a mixture of pride and worry fill her at her at the sight of this.

Yes, she felt pride for Master Byakuya at how well he was able to announce the game and how he was able to set the stakes so high for the students already.

But despite this pride, she could feel terror well up within her as well.

Going into the game, she thought she had seen it all. She had believed that she had seen the lowest point that a person could devolve to.

But now, looking around at the fear-filled students before her, she could tell that this game would change all of that.

She could already see the calculating gleam in the eyes of some of the students. With the right conditions, they would snap, causing chaos and grief in their wake as they desperately tried to save themselves from this mess of a game. They would claim to feel remorse for it later, but at the end of the day, they would have still devolved into their basic instinct. What was that instinct you may ask?

Simply put, kill or be killed.

And the one who would cause this devolution would be one of the people she held closest to her heart.

Her uneasiness grew with the thought of her brother sitting back in the control room, his blue eyes fixed on the screens before him as he smirked at his victory. There would be no remorse for his actions within him. No, he would instead celebrate his accomplishment of pressuring a former colleague into murdering someone they had once considered to be a precious friend.

She would be lying if she said the very idea did not send a shiver down her spine.

Still, she pushed the image out of her head quickly, guilt welling up within her at her thoughts.

The purpose of the killing game was to showcase the power the Togami Corporation held. It was meant to show that there was no use in resisting their reign and that if anyone dared to question them, they would not hesitate to destroy them.

She should not be worrying about how her broth-... No, there she was, slipping back into that tempting daydream.

She should not be worrying about how Master Byakuya would be affected by the mess. He would be fine as long as the Togami Corporation survived after all.

So, she had to put all of her energy into protecting the purpose of the killing game and making sure that nothing went against their plan.

If only for his sake.

Just as the thought filled her head though, a soft voice filled the gym.

"We should investigate the school."

Her gaze was suddenly drawn to the Ultimate Detective at her words, as were the gazes of the rest of the surviving students.

If the sudden attention fazed the young woman, she did not show it. Instead, she stared back at them defiantly, cold determination clear in her gaze.

"B...But the bear says we are trapped! What good will investigating do?!" the Ultimate Writer protested after a while, fear clear in her voice.

Kirigiri turned her gaze to the timid girl, not at all fazed by her protest.

"We need to understand our situation as soon as possible. Yes, we are apparently in a killing game of sorts, but the only way Monokuma will win is if we give in to his childish demands. Our main priorities should be to figure out exactly what resources we have for survival in this school and for cementing the idea that we will not turn on each other. Is that understood?"

Kirigiri's voice echoed in the gym as she looked at the students before her, almost daring them to argue against her. When it was obvious that no one would though, she turned away from them, swiftly making her way to the exit.

"Good. I will be investigating on my own then."

She raised an eyebrow at the Ultimate Detective's words as the rest of the gym broke out in protests at this.

"What the hell?! Are you stupid?! Why would you want to go alone?!" the Ultimate Fashionista protested, crossing her arms over her chest deviantly.

"It is not safe to be alone classmate! Allow one of us to join you!" the Ultimate Moral Compass begged, worry clear on his face.

Kirigiri kept on walking.

"I work better when I am by myself. I will give you any information I have later on." she said simply as she walked away.

The uneasy feeling from before seemed to intensify with the unexpected departure from Kirigiri.

"Damn it! Who does she think she is! Telling us what to do then ignoring those very words and walking outta here like no big deal!" the Ultimate Gang Leader growled, anger clear on his face.

"S-She probably is in cahoots with the guy behind this! I b-bet she is talking with the person behind this, laughing with them about how best to k-kill us all!" the Ultimate Writer piped up again, a dark expression on her face.

"No she is not!"

This time, her gaze was pulled to Makoto Naegi, who was now glaring fiercely at the Ultimate Writer to her immense surprise.

"E-excuse me?! H-how can you say that after what she just did?!" the Ultimate Writer shot back, shock clear on her face at the young man's protest.

"I do not believe that any of us is working with the person behind this! We can not just write her off because she wants to be alone! If we do that, we will be doing exactly what the mastermind wants! He wants us to suspect each other and drawing conclusions on Kirigiri just because she wants to investigate by herself would mean we were doing just that!"

She found herself raising an eyebrow at Naegi's defense for the Ultimate Detective. Quickly, she scanned her brain for any information she had on the relationship between the duo before the memory wipe had occurred.

From what she could remember, the duo had been incredibly close. In fact, she had listed the duo as being in a potential relationship down the road due to their close friendship.

Still, it did not make sense for him to be so offended by the Ultimate Writer's words against someone he just met. After all the memory wipe…

…. Had not worked properly on him.

She felt her eyes widen slightly as panic began to well up within her.

Just how much did the boy remember?

Still, she did not dare to let her panic show on her face. She forced herself to keep a neutral expression on her face as she took a step forward, bringing all attention to her as she did so.

"Naegi is right. We have no need for divisions at the moment. Right now, we would do well to follow the advice of Kirigiri and examine what we can of the school so we can have a better understanding of our present situation." she stated.

There were some grumbles within the students at her words, but no one truly seemed to be against the idea of studying their surroundings.

She forced a small smile onto her face at this, trying her best to keep up her facade as long as possible.

"Good. Now let's get to work solving the mystery ahead of us. Who shall be working with who in terms of investigating the school?" she questioned.

"Um… I will work with Sakura and Maizono I guess." the Ultimate Swimmer said, sniffing slightly still from her earlier crying fit after the death of Hagakure.

The Ultimate Moral Compass nodded at this.

"Very well! I will work with Leon and Oowada then!" he announced.

The Ultimate Fashionista sighed at this and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, me and Mukuro will team up then."

"Umm.. I'll work with Yamada and Fukawa then." The Ultimate Programmer piped up then, nervousness clear on their face.

Naegi turned to her with a weak smile, wariness clear on his face.

"I guess that means that the two of us will be working together then."

She nodded at his words, inwardly delighted by this turn of events.

This was her chance to find out more about the Ultimate Luckster, as well as an opportunity to figure out what had gone wrong with the memory wiping procedure in his case.

"I am sure it will be very worthwhile then."

* * *

 **So hey guys, guess who decided to upload this early?!**

Sorry for the constant repeat for everyone's titles, but I feel like Shinobu would address everyone with their titles as they are just Ultimates to her. She sees them as merely students, not companions, so she addresses them with their titles. Well, except Naegi, because she is trying to figure out what the hell is going on with him.

Also, on term of Fukawa's paranoia, I just always saw her as being one of the more paranoid students in the games, even if she was one of my favorites after Ultra Despair Girls was released. Due to her being the Ultimate Writer, I figured her imagination would go a bit farther than the rest of the students as she uses it in her writing and in some of her ... ah... more interesting daydreams.

Still, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! :)

Next update: Friday


	8. Investigation

He would be lying if he said that he was not nervous about working with Togami.

He walked beside the young woman quietly, not really knowing what to say to her.

He did not know why, but he had an odd feeling about the girl. He felt as if the girl should not be there right now, like the girl was just a replacement for someone who was much more important.

But that was just plain out insulting to think that about her. After all, if anything, he did not deserve to be at Hope's Peak.

What room did he have to complain about other people's presence at the school when his own talent just boiled down to luck?

Still, that did not quench the unsettling feeling inside him whenever he saw the girl.

And then there was the matter of her smiling when Hagakure was killed….

"... So, you are the Ultimate Lucky Student?"

He jumps at her question, startled by the sudden conversation starter.

Togami merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow, her light green eyes filled with curiosity.

"Is something the matter Ultimat- I mean Naegi!" she fixed quickly, her face filling with panic for a second.

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow, the unsettling feeling in his stomach filling him at the girl's mix up.

"... I guess you like calling us by our titles then? Wouldn't be better to call us by our own names instead of those titles? I mean, we just met, yeah, but we should not act as if we are just the titles we received to attend the academy," he suggested.

The girl stared at him with wide eyes, absolute shock clear on her face. However, this expression was quickly wiped from her face, only to be replaced with her usual blank expression.

"These titles sum us up to our very being. It is what we are and that is why I prefer to use them when addressing fellow students. That is all that has to be said on the matter," she told him coldly.

He openly stared at the girl walking beside him, unconsciously clenching his fists.

"You are wrong."

She stopped mid-step at his comment.

"Excuse me?"

There was no anger in her voice as she spoke, only confusion. He barely notices it though, too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"I said that you are wrong. We are much more than a title given to us by the school. We are people, don't you get that?!"

Togami blinked at this before narrowing her eyes slightly.

"You seem to have a very naive grasp of the situation at hand. Let me make it clear to you."

She suddenly lunged at him, bringing up a hand to wrap around his throat tightly.

He felt his eyes practically bulge out of his head as he felt her tighten her hand just slightly around his throat. It was not enough to completely cut off his ability to cut off his air flow, but it definitely made it a lot harder to breathe.

He stared at the woman before him but she only stared back at him coldly.

"We are in a game of life and death. Do you understand that? At any second, any one of these ultimates can snap on us, ending one of our own lives in order to preserve theirs. It is natural selection of the highest order."

Her grip tightened just a fraction as she spoke, causing him to let out a choked gasp.

"I can finish you off right here. Just a bit more force can send you toppling to the floor in a lifeless heap. I hold the power of life and death in my hands right now. Do you realize that?"|

He could only stare at her in shock.

"I will not be the only person who will hold this power in the coming days. In fact, I daresay we all hold this power currently. We all possess the power to kill, have proper motive to kill. The only thing that remains to be seen is who will snap first. And who will be the one who pays the ultimate price as a result."

She suddenly let go of his throat, sending him immediately to his knees. He instinctively reached for his throat, massaging it slightly to help his air flow improve.

He blinked up in slight fear at the woman before him, a sudden flash of nervousness filling him as he noticed the blank look on her face.

How could she choke him and come out of it with no emotion what so ever?

She seemed to notice this fear as a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"I give you this warning Makoto Naegi. Your heart will be your doom one day if you do not learn to see the world in its entirety, not just in your own naive perspective." she said softly.

"Hey! Hey! What do we have here?!"

Makoto jumped as he heard the familiar childish voice. He barely bit back a groan as he realized just who was there.

Monokuma…..

The black and white bear seemed to pop up out of nowhere, examining the duo curiously as he tilted his head.

"What's this…? Makoto and Togami alone in the hall…? Ooooh…. I wonder what type of naughtiness has been going on here…?"

"Stay out of this." Togami shot back at the bear, her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the bear at her feet.

The bear seemed to huff in indignation at this.

"Uh uh uh! I am the headmaster of this glorious school. It's my job to figure out what exactly you youngsters are up to!" Monokuma laughed, eagerly twisting his head to look between the two.

"So what are you two up to? Sneaking in some private time before the festivities begin…?" Monokuma giggled.

Togami did not seem willing to even give a response to this lewd suggestion. She simply just turned on her heel and walked away.

Monokuma seemed to sigh at this.

"Aww.. You kids are so boring! Where is the excitement? Why is nobody playing my game?" he seemed to pout.

Makoto frowned at the bear's words as he forced himself back onto his feet.

"No one is playing your game because it is stupid! We are not going to kill each other! We are going to find a way out of this school peacefully!" he insisted.

The bear stared at him for a moment, almost in shock.

Then, it spoke.

"... Of course you would say that."

When the bear spoke, it did not speak with the same cheery tone as it usually did.

It spoke with weariness. It's words seemed to be dripping with pain indescribable with words, a far cry from it's over exaggerated joy.

Something told him this was not the bear, but someone far more human.

He slowly rose to his feet, staring at the bear with confusion as a slight bit of hope.

Perhaps the mastermind was more human than he had previously thought….

"... What do you mean..?" he asked softly.

The bear simply did not respond to his words. It just turned and walked away, leaving him with more questions than answers.

* * *

Yeah so... I realized I basically kept forgetting to update most of my fics here + actually add some new fics I had worked on before so I'm going to be updating a lot in the next few hours.

I hope you guys enjoy it!


	9. Analysis

He leaned back in his seat, eyeing the defeated leader before him with a smirk.

"Well….?"

The former leader of the United Kingdom glared up at him, distain clear in their gaze.

"You are certainly enjoying yourself you psychopath…." They growled.

He raised an eyebrow at the impertinence of the prisoner before him.

Honestly, had the Western World forgotten what respect was? If they were anything like the person before him, they clearly had to be taught the meaning of the world.

And he was the perfect man to teach it to them.

For now though, he leaned forward in his chair a bit, his dark brown eyes focused on his prisoner.

"I believe that you have something to say to me?"

His prisoner contained to glare up at him, the hatred on their face only growing as they did so.

"I know you have the document Togami. I made the sure that Parliament had it sent to you within an hour of it being signed."

He frowned a bit at this, slight annoyance welling up within him at the continuing disrespect. He found himself glancing at the guards standing on either side of his prisoner, making a mental note to talk to them about making their prisoner's remaining life…. Unpleasant.

With a small sigh, he looked back at his prisoner.

"Why must you be so difficult? When France and Italy surrendered to us, their prime ministers were so I quick to make a formal surrender to me. In your case, however, you have barely even acknowledged it."

"Because it is unacceptable! There is no reason why that the great country of the United Kingdom should bow to the likes you!" they snarled at them, anger clear in their voice.

He is barely able to fight back an eye roll at this.

Pride was such a distasteful trait when it was present in people who did not know their place.

It seems like there would be a lot of work needed in the Western hemisphere.

"I see that you are still under the delusion that you actually have a choice in the matter. I am quite curious as to how you managed to even get to the level you were at before I rightfully took it away from you. Still, I still have not heard a certain sentence from you. I would advise you to do so before I force it from you."

His prisoner's glare did not even waver.

"Over my goddamn dead body."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. If one looked at him at that moment, they would assume that he was only mildly annoyed. However, he was smirking on the inside.

"I was hoping it would not come to this. However, it seems as if you have forced my hand."

He turns to the receiver on his desk. He quickly activating it, uttering only one simple sentence.

"Bring in Ootsuki."

His prisoner scoffed at this.

"Ootsuki? What, is he another one of your bastard children?!" he spat at him.

He chose to ignore that comment. They would have their answer soon enough.

And what a flamboyant answer awaited them.

After a few minutes, the doors to his office were thrown open, revealing a young man who seemed to only be in his early twenties. His black hair was half shaven, with the non-shaven portion being draped over to the right. He wore multiple piercings with one in each of his eyebrows, nose and his upper lip. He seemed to be the exact opposite of what a Togami child should have been.

But he was sadly exactly that.

He beamed at him, his light brown eyes that seemed to mirror his exactly filled with glee.

"Hello Father dearest~. I believe you called?"

This is what he got for having so many children. Still, the young man was very talented in what he did, even if his personality was…. Distasteful.

He himself turned back to his prisoner, a small, yet cold smile forming on his face.

"Does that answer your previous question?"

His prisoner seemed to shocked to even respond to the inquiry. Their wide eyes scanned the young man before him in complete bafflement, as if they could not even comprehend who was standing before him.

Honestly, he shared the same feeling at times. But enough on the appearance of yet another one of his multiple bastards….

Ootsuki himself seemed incredibly bored.

" Yeah yeah. The name's Suzuhiko Ootsuki, his illegitimate son whatever, Listen am I here to get an assignment or not? I have better things to do than be eye candy for someone who is clearly not my type."

He really had to fight back an eye roll that time.

"You are getting an assignment Suzuhiko. I believe you are aware of who is standing before me?"

Ootsuki rolled his own eyes and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a knife and twirling it in boredom.

"Yes. The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. What, am I supposed to go after their family or something? If so, that is totally beneath my talent Father Dearest." He sighed.

"What?!" At the mention of his potential order, the prisoner straightened.

He notes this quickly, leading to his smile growing.

"Suzuhiko here is the former SHSL Hitman. Give him a target and he will always manage to kill them within a week."

"And father here seems to prefer me to waste away in here due to it and give me soft targets like your family most likely." Ootsuki rolled his eyes yet again.

His prisoner seemed to be frozen at this, quickly coming to reason why Otsuki had been called in.

"…. You bastard…." the growled.

He merely hummed at their words, leaning in closer to them. His smile had now taken on a twisted form, void of any pity or guilt.

" Would it not be a shame if I sent Suzuhiko after your dear family…? Your dear spouse… Those lovely little children…. Why, it would be quite tragic if something happened to them due to your own impertinence."

His prisoner swallowed at this, glancing between him and his son before sighing and looking down, mumbling something under their breath.

He raised an eyebrow at this.

"Repeat that louder. I do not believe that anyone heard what you have just said." He ordered.

His prisoner flinched but reluctantly looked up, a defeated glaze to their eyes.

"…. The United Kingdom …. Surrenders to the Togami Empire."

His twisted smile grows at the admission.

"Now was that so hard? It honestly was always that simple. Now off you go. I am sure Suzuhiko here will take great care of you family." He hummed, motioning for the guards to take them away.

His prisoner's eyes widened in panic at this. "You promise no harm would could to them if I admitted defeat!" they shrieked as they were dragged away.

"I gave no such promise. Honestly, you Westerns are so idiotic at times." He sighed in response, looking away as the terrified prisoner was taken away.

Ootsuki glanced at him from his position by the wall.

"Are you seriously sending me after the family?"

He does not even bother looking at his son as he turns to his computer.

"No. It would be a waste of your talent." He waved off the idea as he maneuvered his computer in search of the live feed of Hope's Peak Academy.

Time to see what one of his saner children was up to.

To be perfectly honest, he had not seen the point of the killing game at first. It had just seemed to be a distasteful reality show used to try and promote his heir's cruelty and willingness to serve him. Still, he had indulged his son, allowing him the chance to prove himself.

And what a success it was.

Within hours of the commencement of the game, he had seen results. Rebels had already begun to show up, desperate to end the carnage before it began.

However, all these idiotic rebels were able to do was expose themselves to be slaughtered.

As soon as dissent began to spread about the games, he was able to send in his army to destroy it, exposing potential rebels that could have been a threat later.

In addition, this purging of rebels caused a fear factor unlike anything he had expected. Upon seeing the purging his army was subjecting the world too, even the more rebellious groups were beginning to see the sense in surrendering. Soon, he was getting phone calls from ambassadors and representatives from nations and major political groups. around the world, assuring him of their surrender.

Of course there were several straggling nations like those idiotic Americans and bastard Germans who refused to give in.

But they would fall soon enough. It just took some patience.

Looking at the game now as it proceeded, he could not help but believe that perhaps it could benefit him in the long run, just as his heir had promised.

Unless it simply became a nuisance, but hopefully it would not get that far.

He finds himself slightly bored as he examines the feed. He had last seen the murder of Yasuhiro Hagakure, so to see the students simply milling around in the school as they attempted to find a way out was honestly quite boring. He found himself rewinding the feed a bit, curious to see if anything interesting had happened while he was away.

His eyes narrowed as he soon comes upon an interesting scene in one of the hallways.

At first glance, it seems like nothing much. A certain student got mouthy at one of his several daughters, (Shinobu was her name?) and she simply taught him a lesson. Soon after this, his heir stepped in under the guise of that stupid bear Monokuma, causing his daughter to leave.

But it was what happened after this that caught his attention.

His heir had clearly made a mistake, directly addressing the student in a manner not suited to the bear and giving a slight hint as to them knowing each other. He immediately had the bear leave after, but the damage had been done

His eyes narrowed more at this.

Failure was not an option at this point. Any mistake, no matter how small, could possibly take down everything they had been working for.

He could solve this by canceling the killing game, but somehow he knew that would not help at all. It was currently more of a asset than a hindrance due to the large benefit it was giving his cause. Such an asset was a crucial necessity at the moment, so ending it now simply would not do.

Hmm… Perhaps he needed someone to make sure his heir did not fail again. Maybe that was the solution he was looking for.

But who would….

He looked up and soon realized just how to solve this problem.

"Suzuhiko. I have a task for you."

* * *

Welcome in the main villain everyone! Kijo Togami! He is an... interesting man. Can't you tell?

In addition, welcome in Suzuhiko Otsuki, Byakuya's very strange older brother.

Aka this is where the main trouble starts to come into play. But more on that later.

I hope you enjoyed this!


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